Mass Effect: Alternativiti
by Unknwn Prsn
Summary: Join Commander Shepard on his journey to defeat the Reapers, which may become much more difficult than it seems. Story becomes rather AU later on, but uses alot of in-game content as well. Set in during the events Mass Effect 1.
1. Prologue

**Mass Effect: Alternativiti**

 **Prologue**

 **A Long Long Time Ago**

Everything was destroyed, lost, forgotten. Everything they had achieved, everything they valued, gone. Now, nothing remained. They did all they could to stop it, but all their sacrifices proved to be futile. It had still won, they had failed.

He looked out to the void, deep in thought. Through the eons they have been waiting, watching. So much has changed, yet the death and destruction remained the same as it always has. He always thought everything had an end, but so much time has passed and all that time a question plagued him, one that seemed like it would never get answered: Would the destruction ever end?

He wished he knew the answer, they all did.

He turned his gaze towards a console, hoping this time it would be different, but it wasn't. It was the same as it always was, just more devastation, misery, suffering. It all seemed so pointless, he wished it would end.

So many dead. His entire race, so many others, gone. They achieved what was thought to be impossible, reached places unimaginable, then they fell. Perhaps it was inevitable.

He turned to the void once more. Maybe if they had known, they could have stopped it, maybe there would have been peace instead of despondency. But it surprised them all, no one expected it would be so malicious.

He wondered if it had all been pointless. He didn't want to believe it was, though he was starting to doubt. Their plan hadn't succeeded yet after all, and he was truly wondering if it ever would, their chances seemed to dimmer every day. It was so thorough though, so well thought out. They had laid the path, it only had to be found. He suddenly felt a sense of pride, but it was quickly replaced by dread.

Perhaps the plan would succeed one day, but until then there were only two things they could do. Wait, and hope.


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

 **2183, Arcturus station**

The majority of the Alliance brass were currently amassed on Arcturus station to discuss a matter that may change how the galaxy sees humanity forever. It was decided not too long ago, that humanity was ready to join the Spectres, the elite of the elite. All the generals, admirals, and important human representatives were here to decide who would join the ranks of the council's personal agents.

Ambassador Udina looked through the various candidate profiles on his desk until he found one that interested him. "Well, what about Shepard?" he asked aloud. "Born on Earth, followed in his father's footsteps and enlisted at the age of eighteen."

Captain Anderson, decorated Special Forces officer, who was 20 years ago, also a Spectre candidate, nodded in agreement. "He's been loyal to the Alliance since a squad of marines on shore leave saved his mother from a group of thugs."

"He proved himself during the blitz. Held of enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements could arrive." Fleet Admiral Hackett, the highest ranking officer in the room, and the most respected, added.

"He's the only reason Elysium is still standing." Anderson agreed.

"We can't question his courage." Udina said, still looking at the files on his desk.

"Humanity needs a hero, and Shepard's the best we got." Captain Aderson stated confidently.

Admiral Hackett then nodded and looked to the rest of the high ranking officers and representatives expectantly. They all agreed as well.

"I'll make the call" Udina promised.

* * *

 **A few weeks later, SSV Normandy SR1, Sol System**

Commander John Shepard looked out of a window at Earth, it was truly beautiful. The ship he was currently on, a joint operation with the turians, was a marvel as well. But his thoughts were interrupted when the intercom boomed aloud and he could hear the ship's pilot, Joker, speaking through it. "The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Intiating transmission sequence."

Shepard turned his gaze away from Earth and headed towards the bridge, just as the Normandy sped past Jupiter.

"We are connected, calculating transit mass and destination." Joker said whilst flying the advanced ship past neptune.

Shepard arrived on the command deck and was greeted by Corporal Jenkins with a simple 'Commander' as he rounded the corner. "The relay is hot. Aqquiring approach vector." The pilot stated just as Shepard walked up the ramp leading to the bridge.

The Commander arrived on the bridge and went to stand next to Nihlus, a turian who was here to witness the Normandy's first trip out of the Sol system. The intercom boomed again, Joker's voice still present "All stations secure for transit."

Shepard had jumped through relays many times in his life, yet they never became less incredible than the first time he saw one. He still remembered that day, just after he finished his training and shipped out to Elysium.

"The board is green. Approach run has begun."

The Normandy then flew towards the mass relay located at the edge of the solar system; it was truly massive, at least 8 kilometers long. And the Charon relay was only a secondary relay. A Primary relay, like the one located at Arcturus was more than 15 kilometers long. "Hitting the relay in...3...2...1." It then lit up like a Christmas tree and connected to the Normandy via a giant blue ray of dark energy. The ship was then shot towards its destination in a massless beam of blue, travelling at hundreds of light years per second.

"Thrusters...check. Navigation...check. Internal immisions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift...just under 1500 K." Joker said, no longer connected to the intercom and sounding very happy with himself.

"Fifteen-hundred is good." Nihlus stated from behind Joker. "Your Captain will be pleased." The turian then left, likely heading towards Captain Anderson.

"I hate that guy." Joker said after Nihlus was out of ear range.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment...so you hate him?" Kaiden Alenko, a talented sentinel and current co-pilot asked the flight lieutenant.

"Remember to zip up your jumpsuit on your way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" Joker argued, still very happy with himself. "Besides Spectres are trouble, I don't like having him aboard. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid." Kaiden said simply, looking at Joker "The council helped fund this project. They have the right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story." Joker stated, suggesting some kind of conspiracy.

Shepard then finally joined the conversation. "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs." He agreed with the pilot on this matter. He didn't know too much about the Spectres, but sending one to observe a shakedown run was probably a waste of resources.

"So there's more going on here than the Captain's letting on-" Joker attempted to speculate before being interrupted by Captain Anderson.

"Joker! Status report." the captain demanded over the ships on-board computers.

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid." the pilot answered while entering several commands on his console.

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us up to the system." Anderson ordered. "I want mission reports relayed back to the Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is heading your way." Joker said while Kaiden shook his head.

"He's already here, Lieutenant." the captain corrected him, clearly annoyed with the pilot. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the Comm room for a debriefing." The captain then ended the conversation. He and Joker hadn't always gotten along, though the neither of them were ever openly hostile. It didn't help that Joker made the worst jokes at the most wrong time though.

"You get that, Commander?" Joker asked.

"I'm on my way." Shepard answered just before he turned and walked away, heading for the Comm room.

"Pfft. Is it just me or does the Captain always sound a little pissed off?" Joker asked, turning his head towards Kaiden.

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker." Kaiden answered.

As Shepard made his approach towards the comm room he could hear Navigator Pressley and Engineer Adams arguing over the Normandy's internal comms. "I'm telling you. I just saw him. He marched by like he was on a mission."

"He's a Spectre. They're always on a mission." Engineer Adams replied.

"And we're getting dragged right along with him!" Pressly shouted angrily.

"Relax Pressly," Adams calmed him. "you're gonna give yourself an ulcer."

Shepard had been briefly introduced to the ship's crew, and although he probably wouldn't stay on the Normandy very long, no harm in getting to know them a bit. You needed to trust the people you worked with, even if they were up in orbit while you fought on the ground. And he had a feeling they were somehow going to end up there. The commander continued his approach towards the navigator and when Pressley noticed him he turned away from his console. "Congratulations, Commander. Looks like we had a smooth run." he said. "You heading down to see the captain?"

"I overheard you arguing. Sounds like you don't trust our turian guest." Shepard stated, crossing his arms

"Sorry, Commander. Just having a chat with Adams down in engineering. Didn't mean to cause any trouble." Pressly apologised. "But you have to admit, something's odd about this mission. The whole crew feels it."

"You think the Alliance brass is holding out on us?" Shepard asked, he had his suspicions as well, you didn't send the amount of experts this ship had on a shakedown run, plus there was Nihlus.

"If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth systems, why is Captain Anderson in Charge? And then there's Nihlus. Spectres are elite operatives. Top covert agents. Why send a Spectre - a trurian Spectre - on a shakedown run?" Pressly asked, shaking his head. "It doesn't add up."

"What do you know about the stealth systems?" Shepard asked him curiously.

"I just know it masks our location from scans and sensors. Cutting edge technology. The Normandy's the only ship with this prototype drive." Pressly stated. "But why are we fully staffed?" he asked "A skeleton crew would be cheaper. Less chance of security leaks, too. Plus there's Nihlus."

"You don't trust Nihlus." The commander stated simply.

"I don't like turians in general." Shepard could see the navigator didn't, his slightly hateful tone evidence of that. "Runs in my family. My grandfather fought in the First Contact War, lost alot of friends when the turians hit us."

"That was thirty years ago. You can't blame Nihlus for that." Shepard reminded him while shaking his head slightly.

"No, I guess not." Pressly said shrugging "But it still makes me nervous having a Spectre aboard, especially a turian. We're an Alliance vessel, human military. But Nihlus doesn't answer to the captain like the rest of us. Spectres operate outside the normal chain of command. And they don't come along to observe shakedown runs. Nihlus looks like he's expecting some heavy action. I don't like it."

"Do you have a problem with the Captain?" Shepard asked, mabye a little too accusingly, he thought. Oh well.

"No, Sir! But I can't figure out what he's doing here." Pressly said dipping his head in defeat. "Captain Aderson is one of the most decorated Special forces officers in the service. If he melted down all his medals he could make a lifesize statue of himself. You don't send a soldier like that on a do-nothing mission. It's pretty obvious this shakedown run is just a cover." Pressly speculated.

"For what?" Shepard asked, though he doubted the navigator knew the answer.

"We're out on false pretenses. And I'm not a fan of being left in the dark." Pressly replied.

"I'll see if i can get some answers when I see the Captain." Shepard said.

"Good luck, Commander." Pressly said.

Shepard continued walk towards the comm room. He found Doctor Chakwas and Corporal Jenkins standing in front of a large metal slab with 'SR1' painted on it in bold. "I grew up on Eden Prime doc, its not the sort of place Spectres visit." Jenkins stated. "There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission."

"That crazy. The Captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre." The doctor stated.

"Not his choice, Doc. Spectres don't answer too anyone. They can do whatever they wan't, kill anyone who gets in their way." Jenkins said, making it sound like a good thing.

"Ha! You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins." Chakwas said, not sounding particularly confident in her own words.

Jenkins saluted the Commander when he saw him approaching. "What do you think, Commander? We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we?" he asked excitedly. "I'm itching for some real action."

"I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary." Chakwas stated.

"A good soldier doesn't go looking for a fight, Corporal." Shepard stated rather plainly.

"Sorry, Commander." he apologized. "But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!"

"Just treat it like every other assignment and everything will work out." Shepard said, trying to calm the corporal down.

"That's easy for you to say. You proved yourself during the blitz. Everyone knows what you can do." Jenkins said, just as excited as before. "This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do!"

"You're young Corporal. You have a long career ahead of you, don't do something stupid to mess it up." Shepard said.

"Don't worry, sir, I won't." He promised.

"What can you tell me about Nihlus?" Shepard asked.

"Turians are generally well respected by the other species. They're fleet has more patrols in Citadel space than any other." Chakwas answered. "They don't always get on well with us though. Some people find them too rigid. Others still blame them for the first contact war." she continued, sounding slightly disappointed. "As for Nihlus, I haven't said more than two words to him. He usually only speaks to the Captain."

"I hope we get a chance to see him in action. I heard Nihlus took down an entire enemy platoon all by himself." Corporal Jenkins said, excited as ever.

"What do you know about the Spectres?" Shepard asked.

"Only what I've heard. Spectre agents work directly for the Citadel council. They usually work alone or in small groups. Spectres don't have any official power, though." Chakwas said. "Basically, they're a shadow organization with a mandate to protect galactic stability."

"Protect it at any cost. Don't forget that part. Spectres operate above the law!" Corporal Jenkins stated, clearly he admired the Spectres.

"How do you control agents with unlimited power?" Shepard asked looking at the doctor.

"I suppose the Council could revoke the Spectre status of a agent who got out of hand. At that point, Citadel Security services would take over." she answered.

"Those C-Sec grunts wouldn't stand a chance. A Spectre's worth twenty ordinary soldiers." Jenkins corrected her. "The Spectres police themselves. An agent goes rogue, they send another agent too take him down. That's Spectre justice."

Chakwas shook her head. "The corporal's confusing romantic legend with reality, Commander."

"Why don't we have any of our own people in there?" Shepard asked inquisitively.

"Spectres usually come from the Council races, like the turians. We've been trying to get a human into their ranks for years now. So far, it hasn't happened." Chakwas answered.

"Hey, Commander! You'd make a good Spectre." Jenkins suggested. "You're a war hero right. Held off an entire enemy fleet during the Blitz single-handed. That's the kind of talent the Spectres are looking for. Maybe that's why Nihlus is here." The commander didn't know, it wasn't entirely impossible. But it was clear enough Nihlus wasn't here to observe the Normandy's test flight.

"This is all just wild speculation. The Spectres aren't interested in recruiting humans." Chakwas said shaking her head once again. "No matter how capable."

"You're from Eden Prime aren't you Jenkins. What's it like?" Shepard asked looking at the Corporal.

"It's very peaceful, Commander. They've been real careful with development, so you don't have any city noise or pollution." he answered. "My parents lived on the outskirts of the colony. At night, I used climb this big hill and stare across the fields back at the lights from the main settlement. It was gorgeous. But when I got older I realized it was a little too calm and quiet for me." he shrugged. "One of the reasons I joined the Alliance. Even paradise gets boring after a while. The other reason I enlisted was that my father served in the military too when I was younger, he later retired."

"Any idea why Eden Prime was chosen as our destination?" Shepard asked, perhaps the reason Nihlus was here was on the colony, he thought.

"Not really sure, Commander. Eden Prime's one of our most stable colonies. Good place to take the Normandy for a Shakedown run, I guess. No real danger there. But there's got to be something else going on." Jenkins replied, frustrated. "We've got a Spectre on board! That's why I'm so wound up. I can't wait for the real mission to start!"

"The Captain's waiting for me, maybe we'll talk again later." Shepard stated, ending the conversation.

"Goodye, Commander." Chakwas said.

Shepard now walked towards the Comm room once more. He was very curious about the true purpose of their mission, Captain Anderson would probably inform him, he was XO after all. The guard stationed in front of the comm room saluted the commander and let him through.

Shepard was surprised, and slightly suspicious, to find Nihlus, alone, in the comm room. He was looking at a picture of Eden Prime's main settlement. The turian then turned and addressed the commander. "Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."

"The Captain said he'd meet me here." Shepard said, slightly suspicious.

"He's on his way." Nihlus said, sensing the commander's concerns, but it didn't seem to bother him. "I'm interested in this world we're going to - Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"They say it's a paradise." Shepard added

"Yes...a paradise. Serine. Tranquil. Safe. It has become something of a symbol for your people. Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?" Nihlus asked, suggesting he knew more than he was letting on. It wouldn't have surprised Shepard if he did.

"Do you know something?" Shepard asked, stepping closer.

"You're people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place." Nihlus stated. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?" he asked, looking past Shepard to the door.

Just then Captain Anderson walked in. "I think it's about time we told the Commander what's really going on."

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Nihlus stated, looking at the Shepard.

"I figured there was something you weren't telling us." Shepard said, not quite sure yet if he should be happy that he and the rest of the crew was right.

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational." Anderson stated.

"There must be a reason you didn't tell me this, sir." Shepard said, looking at the captain expectantly.

"This comes down from the top, Commander, strictly on a need-to-know basis." Anderson said, Shepard knew the captain wouldn't lie to him for no reason, he had know him for quite a while, that's just not how he did things.

"A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation." Anderson continued, whilst walking futher into the room and stopping between Shepard and Nihlus "It was Prothean."

"I thought the Protheans vanished almost 40,000 years ago." Shepard said.

"Their legacy still remains." Nihlus corrected him. "The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives - it's all based on Prothean technology."

"This is big, Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this it jumped our technology foward hundreds of years." Anderson stated, walking further into the room and then stopping between Shepard and Nihlus. "But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space." Nihlus stated

"Well, it never hurts to have a few extra hands on board." Shepard said. It was probably wiser to share the technology. The Council had more experience with reverse-engineering Prothean technology after all. It would win favour for the human race as well. But he suspected Nihlus was here for more than just the beacon. "But I get a feeling the beacon's not the only reason you're here."

"You're right commander." Nihlus nodded

Anderson looked at Nihlus and then back at the commander. "Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you."

Shepard shrugged. So Jenkins was right after all. "Guess that explains why I bump into him every time I turn around."

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time." Captain Anderson informed the commander, walking to face Shepard as he did. "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority." He emphasized that last sentence by slamming his fist into bis palm. "If they accept a human into their ranks, its shows how far the Alliance has come."

"You held off an enemy assualt during the Blitz single-handed.", Nihlus said, rather impressed. "You showed not only courage but also incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

Shepard wasn't very biased agaist the turians, or any species for that matter. And he could see Nihlus was the same, he could respect the turian for that. "Just tell me what I need to do." he said.

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together." Nihlus informed him.

Captain Aderson then gave him the details "You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"What do you know about the Protheans?" Shepard asked. The beacon had made the commander curious and he couldn't help ask, although he doubted Anderson or Nihlus knew anything about the Protheans he didn't aswell, they weren't historians after all.

"Just what they taught us in school. They were a technologically-advanced species that ruled the galaxy 40,000 years ago. Then they vanished." Anderson said. "Nobody really knows how or why, though I've heard plenty of theories. But everyone agrees galactic civilization wouldn't exist without them."

Nihlus then added his own two cents. "Their Citadel is the very heart of galactic society. And without their mass relays, interstellar travel would be impossible. All advanced galactic civilization is based on Prothean technology. Even yours. We all owe the Protheans a great debt."

"I can see why this beacon is so important." Shepard said, he understood now why the mission was such a secret, they couldn't risk security leaks.

Anderson nodded. "If we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins on Mars, we'd still be stuck on Earth. That was just a small data cache. Who knows what we can learn from this beacon? What if its a weapons archive? We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"Like who?" Shepard asked.

"The Attican Traverse isn't the most stable sector of Citadel space. There are plenty of raiders and criminal groups active in the region. Plus, Eden Prime is on the border of the Terminus Systems." Anderson answered.

"The Attican Traverse is under Citadel protection. If the Terminus Systems attack, it's an act of war." Shepard stated.

"Technically, yes. But some of the species in the Terminus might be willing to start a war over this." Nihlus added.

"The last thing the Council wants is to get dragged into a major conflict with the Terminus systems." The captain stated. "We have to keep this low-key."

Shepard always liked having as much details as possible before a mission and it had served him well. "I'd like to know more about Eden Prime before we touch down."

"It's a peaceful farming world, but it represents something much bigger." Anderson responded to the commander's question. "Eden Prime is one of our oldest and most successful colonies. It proved we were ready to face challenges of settling new worlds, to forge a place for humanity beyond Earth." he continued. "It symbolizes humanity's growth and evolution as a spacefaring species. And after this, it will be known as the world where humans made a discovery of galactic importance."

Shepard was ready "Just give the word, Captain."

"We should be getting close to Eden-", Anderson was interrupted by Joker, his voice aloud over the Normandy's internal comms. "Captain! We've got a problem."

"What's wrong, Joker?" Anderson asked, still a bit annoyed with the pilot.

Joker tone was urgent though. "Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this."

"Bring it up on screen." Anderson ordered as he and the other two people present in the room turned towards said holoscreen.

On it they could see a battle taking place, guns blazing and Alliance soldiers fighting an enemy not visible on the transmission. A women ran to cover the man with the camera strapped to his helmet, he was shot. He fell to the floor and then looked at the battle raging around him, mass accelerator rounds covered the sky and grenades detonated meters away. An officer then came into view and spoke into the recording. "We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties! We can't... argh!..-eed evac They came out of nowhere. We need-" He never got the chance to finish his sentence. The grim look on his face was further amplified when he fell on the ground, shot. The helmet camera then briefly turned to face a massive object in the sky. The transmission then cut out.

"Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing." Joker said over the comms again.

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Anderson ordered the pilot. On the screen five massive mechanical tendrils appeared, red lightning pulsating around them. They looked to be part of some kind of ship, but nothing like Shepard's ever seen. "Status report." the Captain ordered.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area." Joker replied.

"Take us in, Joker, fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated." Anderson said, still staring at the holoscreen.

Nihlus then spoke up. "A small strike team can move fast without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon." Anderson nodded "Grab Your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." he ordered. Nihlus then walked away to do just that. "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in." the captain then walked out the doom as well.

Shepard took a moment more to inspect the odd tendrils on the holoscreen, before heading out of the comm room himself. He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

The Normandy dipped into Eden Prime's atmosphere, violently breaking through layers of clouds, but nobody noticed. The stealth systems were engaged and no sensor or scan knew the ship was even in the system.

The advanced ship passed over the main colony towards the site where the beacon was dug up."Somebody was doing some serious digging here, Captain." Joker observed.

In the hanger bay Shepard, Kaiden and Jenkins were suiting up along with Nihlus. The three marines all had the standard gear. Whilst the turian Spectre preferred his more advanced prototype weapons.

Captain Anderson was currently briefing the ground team. "Your team's the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" Kaiden called out over all the noise.

"Helping survivors is secondary objective." Anderson ordered, walking towards the group. "The beacon's your top priority."

"Approaching drop point one." Joker announced.

"Nihlus? You coming with us?" Jenkins asked, hopeful. Sadly for Jenkins, that wasn't going to happen.

"I move faster on my own." Nihlus stated before running out of the Normandy.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence." the captain ordered.

"We've got his back, Captain." Shepard promised.

"The mission's yours now, Commander. Good luck." Anderson bid him goodbye.

"We are approaching drop point two." Joker said over the intercom. "Ship perimeter secure." The ground team then exited the ship, which flew away shortly afterwards.

They found a rather eerie site, red skies, fires and mass accelerator rounds everywhere the eye could see.

"What...happened here?" Jenkins asked no one in particular.

"Come on, we need to find that beacon." Shepard stated.

As the team made their approach they found strange, floating creatures. They looked a lot like fat jellyfish. Kaiden was the first to voice his concerns "What the hell are those?"

"Gas bags. Don't worry - they're harmless." Jenkins answered.

As the team rounded the next corner, Shepard gave Jenkins the go forward. Then suddenly, out of nowhere four drones appeared. "Look out!" Kaiden shouted, but he was to late. They shot at the corporal and their rounds mostly bypassed his shields and easily teared through his armor. Those drones we're the last things Jenkins ever saw.

Shepard tossed a warp at two drones who were slightly too close together, turning them both into dust. Meanwhile Kaiden let loose an overload attack from his omni-tool that shorted out the shields of the remaining two drones. He then took one down with his pistol, before lifting the other high into the air. Shepard then riddled it with bullets.

Shepard and Kaiden approached the corporal's body and Kaiden closed his eyes. "Ripped right through his shields, never had a chance." he said, defeated.

"We'll make sure he receives a proper service when the mission's complete." Shepard said, after Kaiden stood up to face him. "But right now I need you to stay focused."

"Aye, aye, sir." Kaiden said, sounding more resolved, although still sad.

They then approached another corner and encountered three more of the machines. Shepard flung a singularity at the trio of robots, trapping them all inside its grasp. He then launched a warp at the floating ball of mass and detonated it, disintegrating the unlucky drones.

Shepard then gave the signal for Kaiden to follow him again and they continued their approach towards the beacon. The commander then rounded the corner, narrowly dodging a gas bag he didn't see coming from the side. He'd heard they can leave a nasty smell if they pop on you. He didn't want to find out if that was true.

Shepard then saw a burnt open upgrade kit lying on the ground next to a large rock. Surprisingly the mods inside it were still intact. Shepard though they might come in useful later, so he decided to hold on to them.

Just as the commander put the mods safely away in a storage compartment, his radio came alight. And a familiar turian spoke through it. "I've got some burned out buildings here, Shepard. A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site."

As Shepard and Kaiden walked past several large trees, possibly family to the baobab, they encountered three more of the drones on patrol. Shepard sent one of them careering into the nearest tree with a throw attack, causing it to explode on impact. Kaiden sabotaged the remaining two machines, causing them to fly around haphazardly. He then peppered them with bullets, scoring a direct hit on one's 'eye'.

The last drone finally regained its composure and attempted to end the commander. Shepard's shields flickered and died. He quickly made a dash for cover, narrowly avoiding the hail of bullets. When the drone stopped firing he saw his chance and charged at the drone, assault rifle pointed forward. But today just wasn't his day.

As Shepard leveled his rifle at the flying machine and prepared to fire, however, a gas bag floated into his crosshairs. But it was too late to stop. A furious burst of bullets left the Lancer's barrel and slammed into the unfortunate gas bag not a meter away from the commander. The floating jellyfish exploded into a cloud of slime, which Shepard ran straight into. Luckily the drone met the same fate and swiveled through the air chaotically. Kaiden landed a single blow on the already damaged machine and ended its existence.

Shepard found himself covered in slime. He wiped a thick lair of the stuff off of his visor. It didn't smell that bad, but still, this mission really hadn't treated him, or anyone for that matter, very good so far. They were only a few minutes in, and already they had lost a soldier. He attempted to wipe the guts off of his rifle and when he could at least aim again, shook off as much goo off of him as he could. He then proceeded to the dig site.

Had it been under better circumstances, Kaiden would have laughed at the sight before him, but Jenkins was still fresh in his mind.

* * *

Ashley ran and ran, desperately trying to get away from the geth drones chasing her. One shot grazed her and she fell over. She rolled onto her back, pulled out her sidearm and blasted the machines to pieces. Only to witness a terrible site.

Two geth troopers were putting a half-conscious civilian on to some kind of machine. A massive spike then shot out of the machine, impaling the poor civilian.

Geth were machines. Ashley knew they couldn't feel. But this? It was just outright horrible. She could think of few people, alien or human alike, that would do such a thing.

The geth then noticed her. She picked herself off of the floor and made a mad dash for cover. She was exhausted, she wouldn't last much longer. Luckily, she wouldn't have to.

A blue fireball raced past Ashley and slammed into the geth approaching her cover. It was tossed meters back by the throw attack and crashed into a rock, sparks sprouting out of it from the damage it took.

Ashley was relieved. At least someone was still alive. She peered back and saw two alliance soldiers. One was a biotic and probably the commanding officer. He was a N7 after all.

The other was a sentinel, evident by the fact that he overloaded a geth's shields and then disintegrated it with a warp attack, she couldn't help but feel a bit of desire. She shot that thought down a soon as it surfaced, now was not the time.

The battle temporarily stopped and the commander approached her, she quickly saluted and thanked him. "Thanks for the help commander. I didn't think I was gonna make it." She then introduced herself. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You the one in charge here, sir?"

"Are you wounded, Williams?" He asked, concerned

"A few scrapes and burns. Nothing serious. The others weren't so lucky. Oh, man…We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit." Ashley said, pointing to where her unit was stationed. "We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off communications." She continued, turning back to the commander. "I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where the rest of your squad?" Shepard asked.

"We tried to double back to the beacon. But we walked into an ambush." Ashley answered. "I don't think any of the others…I think I'm the only one left."

"This isn't your fault Williams." Shepard reassured her. "You couldn't have done anything to save them."

Her reply was rather doubtful. "Yes, sir. We held our position as long as we could. Until the geth overwhelmed us."

The sentinel then spoke up. "The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?" he asked.

"They must have come for the beacon." Ashley speculated. "The dig site is close. Just over that rise. It might still be there."

"We could use your help Williams." Shepard said. A lot of people must of died because of this beacon already, he thought. They had to secure it ASAP.

"Aye, aye, sir. Its time for payback." She replied.

"What else do you know about the geth?" Shepard asked her.

"Just what I remember from history class back in school." She answered simply. "They're synthetics. Non-organic life-forms with limited AI programming created by the quarians a few centuries ago. They were supposed to be a source of cheap labor, but ended up turning on the quarians and drove them to exile. After that," she shrugged. "they just kind of disappeared behind the Perseus Veil. Nobody's really heard much from them since."

"Tell me everything you know about the beacon." Shepard instructed.

"They were doing some digging out here to extend the monorail and expand the colony." Ashley answered. "A few weeks ago they uncovered some Prothean ruins…and the beacon. Suddenly, every expert on the colony was interested. That's when they brought us in to secure the site. I don't know much about the beacon itself. But I heard one of the researchers say this could be the biggest discovery of the century."

"What happened to the researchers at the dig site?" Shepard asked, fearing the geth might have got them.

"I don't know." Ashley answered unsure. "They set up camp near the beacon. The 232 was with them. Maybe their unit fared better than Mine."

Shepard could only hope that was the case. "What happened leading up to the attack?" he asked.

"We were sent out a couple nights ago from the main colony to secure the area." Ashley answered just before shrugging slightly. "Seemed like a routine patrol until the geth hit us. We never saw them coming."

"Have you seen a turian Spectre around here?" the commander asked. Shepard hadn't heard from Nihlus in a while, he probably wasn't in any trouble though.

"There aren't any turians on Eden Prime." Williams answered simply. "None that I've ever met." She smiled "Not sure I'd be able to tell if one was a Spectre, anyway."

"If you saw this guy you'd know." Kaiden replied. "Carries enough firepower to wipe out a platoon. Luckily, he's on our side."

"Sorry. Like I said, no turians." She said apologetically.

"Move out." Shepard ordered. They did just that.

At the bottom of a small ramp Shepard could see strange spikes. And on them, impaled civilians and soldiers alike. He'd very rarely encountered criminals that were so cruel to torture their prisoners like this. Only in the deepest, darkest places in the galaxy did you encounter such scum. And yet right before his eyes there the civilians were, impaled on spikes. He didn't expect this from machines. They'd kill their victims rather than waste time and resources torturing them. His thoughts were interrupted by Kaiden. "That man was still alive when they stuck him on the spike."

"Killing us isn't enough. The geth want us to suffer." Ashley spoke up.

"Geth don't feel anger towards their enemies. There must be some reason they impale them instead of just shooting them." Shepard speculated, moving from cover to cover, carefully looking for any geth.

"Classic psychological warfare. They're using terror as a weapon." Kaiden said.

Shepard quieted them. "We got geth up ahead."

The geth spotted them and opened fire. Shepard lifted the nearest machine high into the air and flung a warp at the floating robot, causing a glorious biotic explosion. Flaming geth pieces rained down to the floor but the other geth paid it no mind. Kaiden then sabotaged two geth's weapons. While they wondered what was going on Ashley filled them with holes. Although badly damaged, they both survived, and retreated to the relative safety of a strange structure. It was probably where the beacon was located, that is if the geth hadn't taken it yet. It had several rectangle pillars that bent inwards about three or four meters from the ground. In the middle of the structure was a large disk of stone, dipping slightly into the ground. Shepard's study of the structure was interrupted with all four of the geth opening fire on his squad.

As Ashley tried to find better cover she was met with phasic slugs. Of the many rounds that hit her, one of them managed to bypass her shield and caught her in the the leg. "You alright Williams?" Kaiden asked over the gunfire. He then tossed her a bag of medigel, she caught it with ease.

She thanked the sentinel and applied the medigel on the wound.

Shepard popped up from cover and launched a powerful throw attack at the four remaining geth. They flew in all directions, smashing against various rocks, but were still functional. Three of them landed inside the Prothean structure while the forth landed close to the commander. Shepard charged his barriers to full strength and made a run for the geth. He closed the distance between him and the badly damaged machine and tore it apart with a close range warp attack. He then dived behind a large rock. One of the rounds fired by the other three geth caught him in the shoulder. But he'd deal with that later.

Shepard ordered Kaiden and Ashley to move forward. The geth attempted to shoot them down and one of the machines was rewarded with a bullet to its head for its efforts, courtesy of Kaiden's pistol. Now only two geth remained and they both projected hex shields while they attempted to repair as much damage as they could.

Shepard and Ashley let lose a hail of assault rifle fire, dropping the shields. The commander then launched a singularity at the exposed geth that rendered them helpless. Kaiden finished them of with his pistol. The team holstered their weapons and walked down to the middle of the stone disk, there were more of the spikes there, more people impaled on them. But there was no beacon.

"This is the dig site. The beacon was right here. It must have been moved." Ashley speculated.

"By who? Our side? Or the geth?" Kaiden asked, looking towards her.

"Hard to say." She answered. "Maybe we'll know more after we check out the research camp."

"You think anyone got out here alive?" Shepard asked.

"If they were lucky. Maybe hiding up in the camp." Ashley guessed. "It's just on the top of this ridge. Up the ramps."

Nihlus wasn't here though, Shepard wondered if he'd ran into trouble. Just then Shepard's radio came to life, Nihlus' voice present. "Change of plans, Shepard. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there." The transmission then ended.

In one of the crates scattered around the dig site Shepard found an M-8 Avenger. He traded his lancer for the more advanced weapon in the crate. He doubted someone would be using it any time soon anyway. The three Alliance soldiers then made their way up the ramp, headed for the research camp.

The camp was a mess, temporary buildings were broken apart and tipped over, some of it still on fire. The geth wrecked the place. "Looks like they hit the camp hard." Ashley observed.

"It's a good place for an ambush." Kaiden added "Keep your guard up."

Shepard then saw three more of the spikes and three more victims impaled on them. The humans' skin was a pale-blue color and Shepard could see glowing blue cybernetics all across their bodies. The person that was once there was no more than a husk now, it was a terrible site. Suddenly one of the spikes lowered and the dead colonist turned out to not be so dead after all.

"They're still alive!" Kaiden shouted.

"What did the geth do to them?" Ashley asked, terrified.

The spike retreated into the machine and out of the husk's body, leaving blue sparks in its wake. For a moment the creature just started at Shepard with its lifeless, glowing eyes. Then it charged, making a horrible screeching sound as it did. The commander filled it with bullets, but it kept coming. He then biotically punched the undead cyborg and sent it flying into a rock. It just got up again and screamed at the commander. The other two spikes lowered and unleashed two more of the creatures, they screeched in unison and charged at the squad.

When they got closer blue sparks exploded from their once human bodies, draining Shepard's shields to nothing. He launched a throw attack that caught one of the creatures in its grasp and sent it flying into the very machine it was created with. Ashley took out her her shotgun and blasted one of the husks' arms off, it just roared at her, feeling no pain at all. The gunnery chief then took of its head with another shotgun blast. The other husk charged at Kaiden and was quickly on top of him. It tried to claw its way into the sentinel, Kaiden launched an overload attack from his omni-tool at undead cyborg. The husk sparked wildly but didn't give in. With all the strength Kaiden could muster he launched the husk off him with a throw attack. It then turned its attention towards Shepard who biotically punched it, downing the cyborg. Before it could get back up the commander brought his foot down on its head, killing it for good.

The husk Shepard smashed into one of the spikes, got up again and made a beeline for Ashley, who shot off both of its legs with her shotgun. Still it didn't give up, desperately clawing its way to its pray, and launching sparks from its body as it did. Shepard disintegrated it with a warp.

"Now we know what those spikes are for: turning our own dead against us." Kaiden stated.

"It must take a few hours for the spikes to turn people into husks." Ashley added disgusted. "Lets go get the bastards."

"Check your targets, could be friendlies." Shepard said before ordering them to follow. At least now they knew what the spikes were for. He just wondered why the geth would even bother turning people into husks. He was sure it cost less resources to just build a geth. It didn't matter. One thing was clear, the geth had to be stopped.

At the end of the trashed research camp there were two temporary research buildings still standing. Shepard found medigel and some grenades in one of them. The other's door was locked. The commander got to work bypassing the lock. He wasn't a tech expert but he had some decent education. Plus there were few technical issues omni-gel couldn't fix.

Shepard easily bypassed the door. It sped open to reveal two scientists that somehow survived the attack.

"Humans! Thank the Maker!" A female researcher with short brown hair called out.

"Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!" A half bald man whisper-shouted.

"Don't worry." Shepard calmed him, "We'll protect you."

"Thank you. I think we'll be okay now. It looks like everyone's gone." The brown haired woman thanked the commander.

Ashley seemed to recognize her. "You're Dr. Warren, the one in charge of the excavation. Do you know what happened to the beacon?"

"It was moved to the spaceport this morning." The doctor answered. "Manuel and I stayed behind to help pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide." She looked down. "They gave their lives to save us."

"No one is saved. The age of humanity is ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses will remain." The other scientist, Manuel, argued.

"What else can you tell me about the attack?" Shepard asked.

"It all happened so fast." Dr. Warren answered. "One second we were gathering up equipment. The next we were hiding in the shed while the geth swarmed over the camp."

"Agents of the destroyers. Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction." Dr. Manuel commented.

"We could hear the battle outside. Gunfire. Screams." Dr. Warren continued. "I thought it would never end. Then, everything went quiet." Shepard nodded. "We just sat there, too afraid to move. Until you came along."

"Did you notice a turian in the area?" Shepard asked, looking at Dr. Warren.

To his surprise Dr. Manuel answered. "I saw him. The prophet. Leader of the enemy. He was here, before the attack."

"That's impossible." Kaiden argued. "Nihlus was with us on the Normandy before the attack. He couldn't have been here."

"I'm sorry." Dr. Warren apologized. "Manuel's a bit…unsettled. We haven't seen your turian. We've been hiding in here since the attack."

"Can you tell me anything about the beacon?" Shepard asked.

Dr. Warren answered him. "It's some type of data module from a galaxy-wide communications network. Remarkably well-preserved, it could be the greatest scientific discovery of our lifetime!" she said excitedly "Miraculous new technologies. Groundbreaking medical advances. Who knows what secrets are locked inside?"

"We have unearthed the heart of evil. Awakened the beast. Unleashed the darkness." Dr. Manuel added.

"Manuel! Please! This isn't the time." Dr. Warren said, quieting him.

"What's wrong with your assistant?" Shepard asked, looking to Dr. Manuel.

"Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a bit…unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin." Dr. Warren answered, fidgeting her fingers.

"Is it madness to see the future? To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand there is no escape? No hope?" Manuel asked, Dr. Warren shook her head. "No, I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!"

"I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack." Dr. Warren said.

"Williams, take us to the spaceport." Shepard ordered, looking at the gunnery chief.

"You can't stop it. Nobody can stop it. Night is falling. The darkness of eternity." Manuel commented again.

"Hush, Manuel. Go lie down. You'll feel better once the medication kicks in." Dr. Warren attempted to calm him.

Shepard and his squad exited the building, heading for the spaceport.

* * *

Nihlus carefully dashed from cover to cover, assault rifle drawn. It was a weapon available only to Spectres, top of the range and top secret. Its only equal was geth weaponry, it was a marvel of technology.

Nihlus kept up the pace and then finally arrived at the spaceport and could see movement up ahead, but it was not geth, he quickly dove for cover.

He popped out of his cover, gun pointed at the person in front of him, he wasn't going to take any chances. In front of him was a turian with various cybernetic implants, most notably, a whole cybernetic arm. But he recognized the turian nevertheless, he lowered his weapon. "Saren?" he asked, surprised. He hadn't expected anyone else on this mission.

"Nihlus." Saren said, acknowledging him, though he said it more coldly than Nihlus would have expected. Saren then turned and approached Nihlus.

"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" Nihlus asked, puzzled.

Saren the put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "The Council thought you could use some help on this one."

He appreciated the help. And if the Council figured he needed it, he wouldn't argue. "I wasn't expecting to find the geth here." He said, looking off to the distance. "The situation's bad."

"Don't worry." Saren said, turning away from the burning building he was looking at and drew his pistol. "I've got it under control."

He then shot Nihlus in the back.

* * *

As Shepard walked down the small hill he could see a ship off in the distance. The same one that appeared in the distress message. It was massive. He could now see six more tendrils coming out of its side. It had a long, smooth shell stretching to the clouds. Massive beams of red lightning burst out of it. The ship almost looked like a squid, a massive, terrifying, robotic squid.

"What is that? Off in the distance." Kaiden asked.

"It's a ship. Look at the size of it!" Ashley said, astonished.

The ship then disappeared from view and they continued to move down the hill, the spaceport was just ahead. Shepard could see two geth on guard duty at the bottom of the hill and took cover behind a large rock. He held out a fist, ordering Kaiden and Ashley to stop. He then peered past his cover, two geth, and two spikes off in the distance. The Commander ordered Kaiden to overload the geth's shields and shortly afterwords, sabotage their weapons. Kaiden obliged.

The two geth scrambled for cover. Shepard launched a throw attack at one of them, and before it could get back up Shepard had filled it with holes. The spikes lowered and released the husks impaled on them, they let out a horrible scream and charged at the marines. The other geth managed to reset his weapon behind cover and popped up to open fire on Shepard, covering the husks.

Shepard slid sideways back behind the giant rock. He let his barriers recharge and stepped out of his cover again. The remaining geth was out of cover as well and Shepard lifted it high into the air and slammed it down hard onto the rock it was taking cover behind. The machine exploded into several pieces, limbs rolling down the hill towards the husks.

Slam. It was an attack Shepard had only learned recently and was still working on perfecting, it had taken more out of him than he had though it would, but it was effective nevertheless.

It didn't seem to bother the husks though as they charged mindlessly at the squad. One of them let loose its spark-attack near Ashley and drained her shields, she ended it with a shotgun blast to the face. Kaiden froze the other husk in place with a stasis attack. When it broke free he shot it in the head three times before it stopped moving.

The team then walked up some stairs towards the spaceport, there, in front of a few crates lay Nihlus' assault rifle and a lot of blue blood. Shepard went to investigate before being interrupted by Ashley. "Something's moving! Over behind those crates!" she shouted. Shepard and Kaiden drew their pistols at pointed it at the crates.

From behind the crates emerged a human, thankfully. "Don't – Don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm human." he cried out.

"Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed!" Shepard said and lowered his gun.

"I…I'm sorry. I was hiding. From those creatures. My name's Powell." The dockworker apologized.

"I need to know what happened to Nihlus." Shepard said, gesturing to the pool of turian blood.

"The other one shot him. He got here first. He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him Saren." Powell scratched his head in confusion. "I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down… and Saren shot him in the back." He shook his head "Ordered his geth to drag the body away. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

"We were told a Prothean beacon was brought to the spaceport. What happened to it?" Shepard asked.

"It's over on the other platform. Probaly where that guy Saren headed. He and his geth hopped on the cargo train right after he shot your friend." Powell answered. "I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates I'd be dead, too!"

"How come you're the only one who survived?" Shepard asked. "Why didn't anyone else try to hide behind the crates?"

"They never had a chance." Powell answered hesitantly. "I…I was already behind the crates when the attack started."

"Wait a minute. You were hiding behind the crates before the attack?" Kaiden asked.

"I…sometimes I need a nap to get through my shift." Powell answered, ashamed. "I sneak off behind the crates to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me."

"You survived because you're lazy?" Ashley asked, amazed.

"Lucky break for you." Shepard said plainly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess. I don't really want to think about it." Powell said, leaning forward.

"Tell me about the geth attack." Shepard said, pointing to the destruction around them.

"It was quick." Powell replied. "One minute, that ship was descending. The next, those geth were swarming over the platform, thousands of them. They must have been inside that mother ship. They shot anything that moved. It was a massacre."

"Is there anything else you can tell me about the beacon?" Shepard asked.

"They brought it here this morning." Powell answered, resting himself on his forearm. "We loaded it to the other platform. Hard to believe that was only a few hours ago. Feels like a whole other life."

"Tell me about this 'mother ship' you saw." Shepard instructed.

Powell lifted his arm off the crate he was leaning on and looked at Shepard. "I've never seen anything like it before. It – It was huge. Landed over near that other platform. The whole place got dark as it came down. And – And it was making this noise – this sound that bore right into your brain." he held his head for emphasis "That's what woke me up. The attack came a few minutes later."

"We need to find that beacon before it's too late." Shepard stated.

"Take the cargo train. That's where the other turian went." Powell informed him. "I…I can't stay here. I need to get away from all this." He then left.

Shepard could hear a few clicking sounds, clearly robotic in nature. Geth. They were right behind the corner and hadn't seen them yet. He ordered Ashley and Kaiden to follow him. As he passed the corner he immediately trapped the three geth nearby in a singularity. As they spun around in its grasp the commander and his squad opened fire simultaneously, filling the geth with holes. Only one of them survived. The miniature black hole then dispersed and before the last geth even reached the ground, Shepard had smashed it into the wall with a throw attack.

They climbed down the stairs leading to the tram, and were greeted by a geth destroyer. Shepard managed to knock the large geth down with a throw attack, before diving for cover. But it just got back up. The commander popped up from his cover and peppered the giant geth with assault rifle fire, draining its shields halfway before his weapon overheated. He looked to Kaiden, who nodded and sabotaged the lumbering machine's weapon.

It didn't bother the Destroyer, who merely dropped the weapon and charged at the team. Shepard was too slow and the geth rammed him like a freight train. It attempted crush the commander's head in with the butt of its over sized pulse rifle but was stopped by Kaiden who lifted it a few feet into the air. The geth landed on its feet however and charged again. This time Shepard was ready, he detonated his barriers and sent the geth flying. Ashley had already pulled out her sniper rifle and shot a hole clean through its head.

They didn't have any time to celebrate though, because more geth were headed their way, two more to be exact. But the machines didn't notice the plasma container to their right. Shepard shot at it and the geth were consumed in a flash of blue, he had to shield his eyes to from the bright explosion. When the light cleared the geth were still standing there, their armor turned into liquid from all the heat, dripping onto the floor. The trio filled the machines with holes before they could respond. Their molten forms fell to the floor, dead.

They sprinted down the narrow platform avoiding fire as they went and took cover behind two of the metal slabs bolted to the floor. Further down there were two more geth, one trooper and one destroyer. Ashley opened fire on the trooper with her assault rifle, draining its shields. Kaiden finished it off with a bullet to the head.

Shepard dealt with the destroyer. He managed to bring down its shields before it slammed into him again. It was really starting to hurt. But before the machine could smash his head in he launched it off of him with a biotic throw. The destroyer quickly got back up and opened fire on the commander with its heavy pulse rifle, draining Shepard's barriers. The commander rolled into cover, narrowly avoiding a shot that was meant for his head.

Ashley opened fire on the machine, distracting it and giving Shepard the opening he needed. The commander got up from his position on the floor and flung a warp and shortly after, a throw attack at the geth. It biotically exploded and its pieces rained down on the floor.

Two more geth awaited them at the end of the platform. One of them put up a hex shield to defend itself, Shepard threw a grenade that stuck to the shield. It exploded and downed the projection. The geth, however, survived, protected from the blast by its deceased shield. Kaiden overloaded its kinetic barriers and filled it with holes. The second machine dropped down into cover and when it got back up Shepard froze it in stasis. When the biotic field evaporated it found a shotgun in its face, and a grinning gunnery chief. Ashley took of its head.

The squad holstered their weapons and approached the train's controls, which Shepard activated. The train came to life and began transporting them to the main platform, and to the beacon.

* * *

Saren walked to face one of the geth under his command. "Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence that we were here." he ordered and the turned his attention towards the beacon.

He walked up to it and it started to glow more excessively than it had before. It then lifted him into the air and his mind was filled with memories, Prothean memories. He couldn't quite understand them yet. But soon, he would.

* * *

The advanced geth platform was busy setting the charges the turian had ordered them to. Nazara had recruited the turian to do what machines could not: interface with the beacons. They did not know Nazara's plans with him beyond that, it wasn't their place to ask. Nazara would inform them if it became necessary.

Soon, all geth who followed the old machines would be united. And the rest that refused to see the truth would perish. Along with anyone else that opposed Nazara and his brothers. Nobody could stop them.

The platform finished their work on the last charge and turned its gaze towards the arriving train. Organics. They would defend the turian while he finished his work. The platform called to all the geth in the nearby area, warning them of the organics. They would stop them.

* * *

Shepard and his team got off of the tram and were greeted by a big bomb. "Demolition charges! The geth must have planted them." Kaiden observed.

Shepard disarmed the charge and made his way up the ramp, Kaiden and Ashley following close behind. At the top of the ramp they found a bridge, another demolition charge waiting for them at the other side.

The geth guarding the bomb noticed them, but before it could fire its pulse rifle Kaiden had already sabotaged its weapon. Shepard opened fire on the defenseless machine, filling it with holes and finishing it off with a warp. The commander ordered Ashley to deactivate the demolition charge to their left and continued to move forward.

Another geth was guarding the third charge. Kaiden overloaded its shields right before the commander lifted it into the air and peppered it with bullets. The machine landed with a satisfying clunk. Shepard then set to work disarming the charge and by the time he was finished Ashley had disarmed her bomb as well.

The squad made their way to the end of the platform where another bridge, and the last charge, was located. They dashed from cover to cover, searching for any remaining geth. At the bridge four more geth were guarding the last bomb. Two of them were advanced platforms, shock troopers. They spotted the commander and he took cover behind an askew pillar. Both the shock troopers projected hex shields to protect themselves and their less advanced brethren.

Kaiden launched an overload at the shields and drained them halfway. Shepard and Ashley then popped up from their cover and finished the job, causing the shields to change their color to red and then disappear from existence. One of the geth took cover behind a large crate, the other two disappeared from view behind a corner. The last geth was too slow. Shepard threw it into another pillar a few feet away. It attempted to get up but was met with a hail of mass accelerated slugs from Ashley's Lancer. It sparked under the sustained fire and eventually stopped moving.

One of the shock troopers emerged from behind the crate it was taking cover. But before Shepard or his team could react it had already thrown a grenade at them. "Grenade!" Ashley shouted as she spotted the device.

They dove for cover just in time to avoid the explosion that came afterwords. The silver device was shaped almost like a tiny triangular pyramid with soft edges. It had a flashing blue orb inside of it and reflected the sun's rays as it lay there, and despite being lethal, Shepard had to admit it was quite beautiful. Then the blue orb stopped flashing shone brightly, it exploded into a ball of sparks, then about half a second later the sparks heated the air to plasma. Shepard could feel the heat from behind his cover, far out of the weapon's reach. The super-heated air cooled after a few seconds and the ball of plasma disappeared. Shepard thought it was over but then the grenade sparked again and let out an electrical shockwave. It slammed into the team, draining their shields to nothing. And when Shepard tried to open fire on the geth he found his weapon was overheated.

"Dammit!" Kaiden shouted "Shields are down and weapons overheated, Omni-tool is down too. We should be careful around those grenades Commander."

The other shock trooper emerged from the corner it was hiding behind and joined its partner in firing at Shepard and his team. But without a weapon to fire with they were in a tricky situation. The commander decided to use the geth's own tactics against them and threw one of his own grenades at the machines. They rushed out of its kill-radius but were distracted long enough for Shepard to pop up and trap them in a singularity. Kaiden then froze them in mid-air with a stasis just before the singularity disappeared. Shepard's rifle had finally cooled down and when the geth fell to the floor he and Ashley opened fire on them. Both of the shock troopers died in seconds under the sustained fire, their armor unable to save them.

The gunshots stopped but Shepard remembered the geth still hidden behind the corner. He gestured for Ashley and Kaiden to follow. As he rounded the corner he found the lone trooper, but before it could respond he threw it over the railing it was standing in front of.

The commander then walked past where the geth had fallen and saw two more spikes, and more importantly, the beacon down below. The commander and his team walked down the ramp and found two geth waiting for them. Ashley opened fire with her assault rifle and drained one of the geth's shields before her weapon had to cool down. Kaiden finished it off with several bullets from his pistol.

Shepard launched a warp at the second geth, right before he flung a throw at the machine and detonated the biotic attack. This sent it flying into a wall, but before the commander could finish it off the spikes lowered and the husks were released. They angrily sprouted sparks from their bodies. One of them charged at Ashley, who had already taken out her shotgun for the occasion. She blasted several holes into the creature's chest before it finally died.

The second made a beeline for Kaiden, who launched an overload at the undead cyborg, further adding to electricity wildly flashing around it. The husk paid it no mind and just kept running. Kaiden was forced to lift the husk into the air lest he gets ripped into pieces. Ashley opened fire on the flailing abomination and it fell on the ground with a satisfying thud.

The surviving geth had recovered and was firing at Shepard. Looks like it just wouldn't learn, he thought. The commander then threw it into the wall once again. This time it didn't get back up.

Shepard then walked over to a nearby crate, and found, hidden within, an M-89 Grenade Launcher. The commander carefully inspected the weapon and then attached it to the magnetic locks on his back.

"Look! Over there." Kaiden said, pointing to a ripple in the air. Shepard eyed it carefully, keeping his Avenger pointed at the anomaly, it then disappeared.

"Probably just the wind." Ashley said. Then, out of nowhere a geth appeared. It fired its shotgun at Shepard. The commander attempted to dodge but the blast caught him in the side. It burned like nothing he had ever felt before. With a pained gesture, the commander sent the geth flying. It quickly got back up and attempted to throw a grenade at the squad. But before it could Ashley blasted it apart from behind with her own shotgun.

"You okay commander?" Kaiden asked, concerned.

"I'll live." Shepard answered between pained groans. He then got out a packet of medigel and applied it to the wound. The commander then slowly got up from his position on the floor.

The team finally holstered their weapons and approached the beacon. Luminescent particles swirled around the pillar-like device and a green beam extended from the top of it. It had a bending platform at the bottom of it that was covered in glowing circuits. Shepard turned away from the beacon and signaled the Normandy. "Normandy, the beacon is secure. Request immediate evac."

Meanwhile Kaiden and Ashley approached the beacon. They were both impressed. Kaiden was the first to voice his excitement. "This is amazing. Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!"

Ashley stared at the ancient piece of technology. "It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." She commented. "Something must have activated it." She then slowly approached the beacon.

"Roger, Normandy. Standing by." Shepard then ended the transmission and turned to face Kaiden. He then saw the beacon pulling Ashley towards it, and made a run for it. He grabbed the gunnery chief and threw her out of the beacon's grasp, trapping himself in it instead. The beacon now shone a bright green and Shepard struggled too fight it. But he failed, and the beacon lifted him up into the air.

"Shepard!" Ashley called out.

"No! Don't touch him! It's too dangerous!" Kaiden shouted, stopping Ashley from reaching out to the commander.

Then Shepard went in and out of consciousness. He saw images, of machines, of the Citadel. Death. War. A battle taking place over the Citadel. Some strange wires piercing organic flesh. Mutilated corpses, wires hanging from them. More death and more machines. It was terrible. He could feel the fear like it was his own. Then everything went dark and the beacon exploded.

* * *

Saren rode in the Captain's chair of his giant ship. Behind him, his matriarch associate cleared her throat. "We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy. A human Alliance vessel. It was under the command of Captain Anderson." She said it like she was talking about the weather. "They managed to save the colony." She was dressed in a way that would leave most young men's mouths agape, Saren paid it no mind though.

"And the beacon?" the turian asked.

"One of the humans may have used it." the Matriarch answered. That enraged Saren. The threw around various objects in frustration. The matriarch dodged one of the that was flying towards her head. Saren then ran up to her and grabbed her head, but she was unflinching. He then calmed down and released her.

Saren's voice was vicious and dangerously low. "This human must be eliminated."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! Hope I was able to kinda capture the feel of the game, and that the battle scenes weren't too boring. This isn't an exact novelization, there will be changes, some big, some small.

I decided to change Shepard's early history a bit. He was born on Earth, but was raised by his mother and father instead of growing up on the streets. At 16 his mother was saved from thugs by a squad of marines on shore leave. At 18 he enlisted in the military.

This story will mostly be out of Shepard's point of view and will occasionally shift to other characters'.

If you're interested, check out the codex for this story on my profile page, may be helpful.


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